ics l85 carbine or TM famas

[millermonsterNI]

Hi guy/girls

 

Looking at buying one if these 2 guns but have been told good things and bad about both. But not from people who have owned these guns.

 

So i'm asking for truthful experiences good or bad to help with my choice.

 

Cheers

[Unrustle_Thine_Jimmies]

ICS L85,superior externals and it's overall nicer.. It has steel externals,Marui has plastic. BUT Both have invincible gearboxes. Marui has the magic hop unit as always.

 

Marui is outdated and creaky,but still works well. ICS L85 is solid as a rock.

If something breaks on the Marui,good luck finding spare parts. V1 gearbox parts are very hard to come by. ICS L85 parts area bit easier to find(albiet still hard)

 

Airsoft Ed gave a good review of the ICS L85.

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/11381-ics-l85a2/

 

I cannot really speak for the Marui,I've used it for a round or two in a game and I can say that performances are good,externals solid but plasticy and creaky.

Marui Has a really good ROF for a stock gun.

[Airsoft-Ed]

Wrong on most counts, the ICS L85 series has a terrible hop up unit, in fact, it's the only thing terrible about the gun.

 

On the flip side, spare parts are the easiest thing in the universe to find, Fire-Support sell every single individual component. I could build one from parts buyable from there and bypass purchasing the whole gun. Though it'd end up costing more, and be pointless... But yeah.

 

The TM FAMAS is the oldest AEG there is. Literally.

 

ICS wins, it's a no brainer on all counts, unless you want a FAMAS and nothing else.

[M_P]

I own a tm famas, there's nothing wrong with it but equally nothing notable about it. shoots very well considering its a design from 1997ish, possibly earlier. It does creak but a bit of tape can sort it. With modification to mags it'll take stanags too (that will still fit an m4)

Its not a bad gun as I say but its very old and the ver1 gearbox doesn't have many available spares.

 

The ics l85 is the one I'd go for, purely for practicality, and it'll feel nicer with its solid construction. I think performance wise ootb the tm would probably clinch it, but I've not used an ICS l85 for a fairly long time so couldn't say for sure. It won't be bad though, that's for sure.

[Finius]

Everyone's talking about FAMAS spares, the reason there aren't any is because the FAMAS thinks breaking is something that happens to other people (literally, get one, run it on 7.2v and see how many hundreds of thousands of rounds it takes you to hurt it).

 

I'd still go for the L85 though based on everything above (which mimics my own opinion on mine).

[Hubert]

If you get a chance, try and pick up and hold the guns before you buy them. I've met a fair few people who wanted an L85, but were put off by the weight after trying mine.

 

Own all 3 of the ICS SA80 series, have toyed around with a FAMAS. All are pretty solid.

I'll echo all of the above about the ICS SA80s. Tough and reliable, but the hop-up design leads a lot to be desired. Work best on 0.25g rounds.

 

My Carbine has taken a real battering over 3 years. 200K rounds (possibly more), no spares, only opened up once, after it fell in a swamp. Clocked at 310 FPS. It's only 3 inches shorter than that standard L85, so you won't save much space. Back heavy. Fine in CQB.

If you like bolting crap onto guns, the L85 can have the DD-rail handguard on the front. Like the carbine it's back heavy, but not as much. Fine in CQB

I wouldn't bother with the LSW unless you're desperate. Pretty balanced over the pistol grip, meaning the extra weight isn't really noticeable. Barely 1/2 an inch shorter than a full sized M16. Not useful if you're intending to go to a CQB site. Before it broke, I'd put upwards of 450K rounds through it (it got run over by a tw*t on a moped).

 

As for the FAMAS - pretty light (compared to the SA80 series anyway). They seem reliable, my friend's only broke when he did something stupid with it. Worked flawlessly, and despite being plastic, it was rock solid.

 

I'd say it's up to which you personally prefer, and what your budget it, but remember the L85 is about 11lbs without optics.

[millermonsterNI]

Thanks guys loads of great info on both guns.

 

Will try and get a hold of both see hold they feel but i am swaying towards l85.

 

Thanks again really grateful for taking time out to help me.

[Hubert]

If you want, I can try and post some comparison photos for scale of the L85 versus the carbine, and both against a G36C - hopefully allowing you to judge which would be more practical.

[millermonsterNI]

Mate that would be great as know guys with g36c And will be good guide.

[Hubert]

Not a problem pal, hopefully these should help, luckily I took the carbine photos a few months back, as most of my kit is in storage now.

 

 

I've literally just taken this photo now, so please excuse the yoga matt backing .

 

Anyway, as you can see, the L85-Carbine is about 2 inches (half a flashhider) longer than the G36C, and the L85 is roughly 4 inches (a full flash hider) longer than the G36C. Similar size difference for the L85 and the L85-C.

 

Hopefully that should give you a good indication of the scale.

[millermonsterNI]

Thanks hubert gives me good idea in size. And they r good looking guns. Like the holographic scope. Thanks again for taking time out.

 

A local airsoft shop has the carbine in stock will go and check it for weight and comfort.